Stabilizing means for railway car trucks



H. E. TUCKER STABILIZING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Aug. 24, 1954 Filed Nov. 3. 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 wiaiiliiiiiiiiiiiliiiii ggwwz H I 4, 1954 H. E. TUCKER 2,687,295

STABILIZING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed Nov. 5, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 WWMIILIW IMWW.

MMflzJ-AM/ Aug. 24, 1954 h TUCKER 2,687,295

STABILIZING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS Filed Nov. 3, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 wagl-ln g- 24, 1954 H. E. TUCKER STABILIZING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS 5 SheetsSheet 4 Filed Nov. 3. 1949 Aug. 24, 1954 Filed Nov. 3. .949

H. E. TUKER STABILIZING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Aug. 24, 1954 STABILIZING MEANS FOR RAILWAY CAR TRU CKS

Herbert E. Tucker, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Card.- well Westinghouse Company, a corporation of Delaware Application November 3, 1949, Serial No. 125,283

3 Claims. 1

This application relates to stabilizing railway car trucks, which includes damping spring vibrations or harmonics due to irregularities in the track and resisting the tendency of the bolster and the side frames to get out of square on curves in the track.

Heretofore, these results have been sought by many expedients including a friction shoe on either the side frame or the bolster urged against a friction surface on the other.

But any such device must have clearance to permit assembly or application, and it has been a common fault to so mount the shoe that it can move more or less in its seat'befo're producing any friction that is effective for resisting movement with the car springs in compression or expansion-friction effective for damping spring vibrations or oscillations.

Invariably that movement in time with the vibrations due to travel of the wheels over the rail joints and other irregularities has caused a terrific hammering of the friction shoe in its seat,

resulting in rapid wear and corresponding loss of stabilizing function.

The principal object of this invention is to overcome that fault in prior devices. Generally speaking, this is accomplished by putting the friction shoe in a pocket or recessed seat with willcient clearance for assembly or installation and providing a wedge resiliently urged into position to hold the friction shoe firmly against undesired movement in its seat while insuring desirable movement to compensate for wear on the friction surfaces.

In the accompanying drawings, several forms of the invention are shown by way of illustration, and in all of them three elements-namely, a friction shoe, an adjusting wedge, and a resilient device for adjusting the wedge-form a group or assembly readily installed in an appropriate pocket or recessed seat and automatically adjusting themselves to fit it accurately and firmly against undesirable movement while allowing desirable adjustment for wear.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a portion of a truck equipped with a springpackage embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the spring package with the parts shown in section;

Figure 3 is an elevation of the spring package with the parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the spring plates provided with appropriate friction suraces;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the other spring plate provided with appropriate seats .or pockets for the friction shoe and its associated wedge and pring;

Figs. 6, 7, and 8 are perspective views of the friction shoe, the wedge, and the spring, respectively;

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of a portion of another truck, parts bein broken away to show the stabilizing elements embodying the invention;

Fig. 10 is a transverse section on the line Ill-l ll of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section of a modified form showing the pocket for the friction shoe and its associated parts in the bolster;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of a truck equipped with another form of the invention;

Fig. 13.is a section on the line l3l 3 of Fig. 12;

Figs. 14. and 15 are perspective views of the adjusting wedge and friction shoe elements for the form shown in Figs. 9, 10, and 11; and

Figs. 16 and 17 are perspective views of the corresponding elements for the form shown in Figs. 12 and 13. I

In Fig. 1, there is a side frame including a compression member in, tension member II, and columns l2, together defining a bolster window opening l3 to receive the end portion M of a bolster adapted to be supported on a set of helical springs l5 associated with parts embodying this invention;

In Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, the numerals l6 and I! indicate spaced upper and lower spring plates having flanges l8 cooperating with a set of springs I5 of familiar form, such as the A. A. R. standard recommended practice.

In order to stabilize a truck equipped with such springs and otherwise conventional in construction, the invention provides a spring package shown in Figs. 2 and 3 adapted to replace the conventional spring set consisting of a selection of springs and spring plates holding them in assembly.

As shown in this form, the upper spring plate I6 is provided with a downward tubular projection 20 having angular side portions 2| presenting friction surfaces or plates 22 at opposite sides of the assembly between adjacent springs (see Figs. 2 and 4).

.The bottom plate I! is upward projections 23, somewhat boxlike in form, providing pockets 24 spaced apart, and, when brought into the relation shown in Figs. 2 and 3, straddling the projection 20, and having the pockets 24 opening toward and adjacent to the friction surfaces 22.

provided with spaced,

Friction by rubbing against those surfaces 22 is provided by the elements shown in Figs. 6, '7,

surfaces an adapted to cooperate with the correspending wedge surfaces 3! on .the inner wedge element, generally indicated by 32 (Fig. '7) which has a flange 33 at the bottom. adapted to bear on the bottom wall 3 3 of the corresponding pocket 24.

The two elements shown in Figs. 6 and 7, when brought to position as shown in Figs. 2 and- 3 within the corresponding pocket 24, compress a rubber block 35 (Fig. 8) in the pocket against the bottom or rear wall 36.

With the assembly as shown in Fig. 3, for instance, it will be apparent that the rubber block 35, acting against the inner face 3'? of the wedge element 32, will press it to the right, forcing the wedge surfaces 3! under and against the wedge surfaces 30 on the inner side of the friction shoe 26, giving that shoe movement, or tending to give it movement, in two directions-one, upwardly to force the flange 2'7 against the top wall 28 of the pocket; and, the other, to the right to force its outer surface against the friction surface 22 of the projection extending down from the top spring plate Hi.

The surfaces 38 have a similar reaction on the surfaces 3 l, 3|, one effect of which is to force the flange 33 down against the bottom wall 34 of the pocket. 24. It will thus be seen that the clearance between the friction shoe and the inner wedge element, be it within any reasonable limits, is immediately taken up, and the friction shoe is held firmly against vertical movement in the pocket, or movement with the mating. friction surface 22. Hence, any relative vertical movement between the spring plates l6 and i1 due to compression or expansion of the springs i5. will be. resisted by friction between the friction shoes 26 and the surfaces 22- Also, there will be. no. possibility of a hammering action of the friction shoes 26 in the pockets 24, they being. held firmly seated by the wedge surfaces 39 and 3! urging the flanges 21 and 33 against the top and bottom of the pockets 24.

The complete assembl shown in Figs. 2 and 3: forms a commercial package suitable for replac ing a conventional spring set with its spring plates- Where the customer requires only the stabilizing devices, the parts shown in Figs. 4-8 willferm a commercial package tobe assembled with a suitable number of springs and used to replace a conventional spring set.

In. the form shown in Figs. 9, lo, 14., and 15, the pockets corresponding to those shown. in 2:4 Figs. 2, 3, and 5, shown in the columns 12 of the side frame and indicated generally by 24. The friction plates corresponding to. those shownat 22 in Figs. 2., 3, and 4 are on the bolster: i4 and indicated. by Q2.

The friction shoe shown in perspective in Fig. 15 is indicated generally by 48 and the inner wedge member shown in M by All. The friction shoe is provided with side flanges 68 and top: and bottom. flanges 49, the latter having. wedge surfaces 55 sloping endwise and sidewise; and; adapted to cooperate with. corresponding surfaces i, 5! on flanges 52 on the top: and bottomof the inner wedge element 41. The rubber blocks or resilient element is again indicated by 35.

It will be apparent that the action of the rubber block 35, when compressed as indicated, will be to force the wedge surfaces 5| against the wedge surface 58 giving the friction shoe 46 a motion downward against the bottom 34 of the pocket 24 and sidewise (Fig. 10) against a side wall 54 of the pocket 24 in addition to urging the friction shoe. against the friction plate 42 on the bolster. The reaction against the surfaces 5! will force the inner wedge member 41 upwardl'y in Fig. 9 to push the flange 52 against the top wall 28 of the pocket 24 and the side wall 55 against the side wall 56 (Fig. 10) of the pocket.

Hence, it will necessarily happen that the assembly of the friction shoe, the inner wedge element, and the rubber block compressed in the pocket, will result in the first two elements being wedged against the walls of the pocket and held against undesirable movement while insuring that there will be desirable adjustment toward the bolster to compensate for wear.

In Fig. ll, there is an assembly corresponding to Figs. 9 and 10, but with the pocket 24 shown in the side of the bolster and the column i2 equipped with a downwardly tapered wear plate 62, the latter being adapted to give increased pressure on the friction surface for a corresponding deflection of the supporting springs, either by static or live load.

In Figs. 12, 13, 16, and 1'7, there is disclosed another formembodying the invention where the pockets 2% are shown in the bolster hi, the friction shoe 5.5 takes the form shown in Fig. 1"], and the inner friction element 6! takes the form shown in Fig. 16, while the rubber block is replaced by a helical spring 68.

The friction shoe 66 has a wedge surface "H3 inclined downwardly and laterally to cooperate with a corresponding friction surface H on the inner wedge member 6?, with the result that the friction shoe is pushed against the top and. one side wall of the pocket while the inner friction element. is pushed against the bottom and theother side wall of the pocket by the action of the: spring 68.

This should be apparent from the previous description and the form of wedges shown in Figs. 16' and. F1, withv the addition that the face 13 of the. inner wedge member 6 isv substantially parallel to the wearing surface. on the column, and the wedge surfaces 'iii and H are in contemplaformed by cutting a block diagonally in two directions to form the two elements shown Figs; 16 and 17.

The. invention takes care of. accumulation of liberal manufacturing; tolerances regardless of whether the parts. are cast, forged, or machined, and insures. the fixed position for the friction shoe with respect to the member in which it. is mounted, and: also the proper adjustment to take care of wear.

the plates including a projection on one plate having spaced friction surfaces, spaced projections on the other plate astride the first mentioned projection, and each having a pocket opposed to one of. the friction surfaces on it, a friction shoe adapted to seat in and project from said pocket into engagement with the adjacent friction surface, said shoe having a plurality of superposed substantially parallel wedge surfaces, a wedge to'hold the shoe in place in the pocket and having a plurality ofwedge surfaces substantially parallel to, and in cooperative engagement with, the wedge surfaces of said friction shoe, and resilient means compressed between said wedge and the bottom of the pocket whereby the friction shoe and wedge are constantly forced into contact with the walls of the pocket.

2. In a railway car truck, a supporting member, a relatively movable spring supported member adjacent to the first member, stabilizing means be tween said members including a unitary friction surface carried by one of them, a pocket on the other opening toward the friction surface, outer and inner unitary wedge elements having substantially parallel wedge surfaces sloping in a plurality of directions and cooperating with each other to urge each wedge element against adjacent walls of the pocket, said outer wedge element cooperating with the friction surface of the member adjacent to the pocket, and resilient means compressed between the inner wedge ele ment and the bottom of the pocket.

3. In a railway car truck, a supporting member, a relatively movable spring supported memher adjacent to the ,first member, stabilizing means between said members including a unitary friction surface on one of them, a pocket on the other opening toward the friction surface, an outer wedge element presenting a friction shoe to the friction surface, an inner wedge element, and resilient means compressed between it and the back of the pocket, said inner and outer wedge elements having cooperating substantially parallel wedge surfaces which slope endwise and sidewise and which under the pressure of the resilient means, force the respective wedge elements against opposite walls of th pocket and prevent undesired movement of the wedge elements in the pocket.

References Cited in the file of this patent v UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,307,312 O'Connor June 17, 1919 1,612,876 OConnor Jan. 4, 1927 2,295,556 Flesch Sept. 15, 1942 2,357,264 Light Aug. 29, 1944 2,365,198 Lehrman Dec. 19, 1944 2,378,414 Light June 19, 1945 2,408,866 Marquardt Oct. 8, 1946 2,456,635 Heater Dec. 21, 1948 2,516,072 Piron July 18, 1950 2,561,308 Cottrell July 17, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 378,410 Great Britain Aug. 4, 1932 526,264 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1940 

